Printing and bursting machine



March 21, 1944. M. J. ocoNNx-:LL 2,344,720

PRINTING AND BURSTING MACHINE Filed OClZ. 18, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet l rub March 21, 1944. M J, QCONNELL 2,344,720

PRINTING AND BURSTING MACHINE Filed 0G12. 18, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 21, 1944. M, J, O'CQNNELL PRINTING AND BURSTING MACHINE Filed oct] 18, 1941 4. sheets-sheet 5 ||||I||||||||| um m @Wm @may t@ am Mau.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 jfzdeyzfofz- M. JB OCONNELL PRINTING AND BURSTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 18. 1941 March 21, .1944.

Patnted Mar. 2l, 1944 United Autographic Re of Iliinois gister Co., a corporation Application october 1s, 1941,'seria1 No. 415,655'

- 9 Claims.

taneously in both sets of gulls, although the rear set of rolls is operating at a higher peripheral speed than is the front set of rolls.

Another object of the invention is to provide the ends of serrated gripping rolls with pressurerelieving. sectors, so that vibration and chattering of the rolls. due to the periodic gripping action, will be reduced to a minimum. i

Another object ofthe invention is to mount one set of feed-rolls in a shiftable carriage, so that the machine may be readily accommodated to handle various form lengths of continuousform stationery. y

Still another object of the invention is to providean improved laterally adiustabledeecting .guide-finger in the path of the tensioned sta-y tionery, so that'the separation of the form along the line of weakening may be arranged to start at a desired position.

The invention is illustrated in preferred embodiments, in the accompanying drawings, in

which- Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing the front or Aentry side of the machine containing the positive feeding and printing mechanism; Figure 2, a view similar to Figure 1 showing the rear or delivery portion of the machine; Figure 3, a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the front portion of the machine, taken as indicated at line 3 of Figure 5; Figure d, a longitudinal sectional view showing the rear portion of the same machine with the feed-rollers of the bursting mechanism, taken as indicated at line 4 of Figure 6; Figure 5, a fragmentary plan view of the front end of the machine; and Figure 6, a fragmentary plan view of the rear end of the machine.

In the embodiment illustrated, A designates a main frame; B, a positive stationery feeding l (ci. 10i-227) This invention relates to printing and burstdevice; C, printing mechanism; D, a frlctional feed; E, rear feed-rolls; and F, a carriage containing a set of front feed-rolls.

The main frame A may be of any suitable construction and has a suitable top and standards for supporting the mechanism. The continuousform stationery 1, which the machine is designed to handle, preferably is provided with feed holes 8 and lines of weakening!) between forms.

The positive stationery feeding mechanism B is of the general type shown in Jensen Patent No. 2,139,015 in which endless belts provided with travelling'feed pins i0 are driven in timed relation to the rest of the mechanism by means of a drive shaft ii equipped with a' gear I2. It will be understood that the pins l0 engage holes 8 in the stationery and completely control the ad- Vance of the strip 1 into the printing mechanism.

Machines of this type are particularly useful where it is desirable to perform some inal operation on Vthe stationery just before the continuous-strip is separated into separate parts. For example, payroll lchecks may be signed with an authorized stamp in such a machine, and forms or checks maybe numbered as a final notation before being separated into separate parts. For this purpose printing mechanism C may be used.

A printing cylinder i3 is journalled in uprights I4 and is driven by a gear i5 which meshes with a gear i6 provided on the tympan roll I1. A

suitable inking roll i8 is also journalled in the uprights I4 and is provided with a drive gear i8 which meshes with gear i5. As shown in Figure 1, the gear l2 of the positive-feed mechanism is driven-from the gear IB on the tympan .cylinder by means of an idler-gear 20. Thus it will be understood that the stationery is drawn throughV a simple tensioning device 2i by the positive feeding mechanism B- and is advanced through the printing mechanism, which periodically engages the stationery, under the complete control of the pins i0. Y

In order to advance the strip l into the burst- .ing machine as quickly as permitted by the feeding device B, the frictional feed D is provided wherein a lower feed-roll 22, driven by gear 23, is provided to loosely engage the underside of the strip. A Weighted roller 24 is loosely journalled on a shaft 25 driven by a gear 23a above the roller 22 s o as to exert a slight pressure towards the lower roller 22 which is being driven with a. greater peripheral speed than the advance of the strip under Ithe influence of pins I0. If desired, shearing rolls 25a may be proy frame.

vided, as shown in Figure 5, to trim off the marglnal edge portion of the strip 1. The friction device pulls the paper constantly and insures its advance when it is not positively gripped by vthe printing rolls and feeds it into a chute formed by a series of thin narrow strip guides 26, secured to the frame A, and a corresponding set of lower guides 21 which are also xed to the As will be understood from Figure 6, thie feed-rollers of the bursting machine are provided with circumferential grooves 28 to clear the fixed' guide strips extending between the rolls.

The rear set of feed-rolls E is driven by a chain 29 from a motor (not shown) which drives a sprocket wheel 30 provided with a gear 3l which meshes with a gear A32 on the lower feedroll shaft 33. A miter gear .34 is also provided on the shaft 33 and drives a miter gear 35 on a.

llongitudinally extending splined shaft 36 which is equipped at its front end, as shown in Figure 5,

with'a miter gear 31 which drives a miter gearl 36 on a jack shaft 36.` The jack shaft 39 is provided with a spur gear 46 to drive the gear 23 on which drives the gear I6 on the tympan roll shaft. i

surface formed with a coating 42 of rubber, or

the like. The upper feed-roller 43 is yieldingly urged towards the lower feed-roll by means of a compression spring 44 in a well known manner. The roll is provided with a. driving gear 45 which meshes with the gear 32` on'the lower feed-roll shaft 33, so that the rolls operate at the same peripheral speed even though the rolls themselves are of different diameters. The lower roll has a largerl diameter, so that the gripping segments 46 of the upper roll will not repeatedly strike the same area of the lower roll and in this way wear is distributed. Preferably, the gripping portions of the metal upper roll are knurled to prevent slippage. As will be seen from Figures 4 and 6, the gripping segments 46 are interrupted by axially disposed cut-away portions 41, and the stationery strips 1 will not be gripped when the grooves 41 are presented towards the lower roll.

In order to reduce chattering, vibration, and noise during operation of the rolls, due to the non-circular surface of the roll 43, pressure-relieving sectors 48 are provided near the ends of the roll. These sectors have segments 49 which bridge the circumferential spaces between the gripping segments 46 of the roll. As the sectors 48 are much narrower than the length of the segments 46, the segments 49 are made to extend outwardly a little beyond the segments 46 and will thereby be subjected to a greater pressure per square inch than are the gripping sectors 46 and will permit the upper roll to rotate moresmoothly.v

The front feed-rolls F are mounted in a carriage 50 which is adapted to slide along the top of the frame A which is provided with a rack 5| to be engaged by gears 52 on a shaft 53 so that the carriage may be moved to an adjusted position with respect to the rear feed-rolls E by rotation of a hand wheel 54. A miter gear 55 makes a splined connection with the power shaft 36 and bears against a, thrust bearing 56 and an extension 51 of the carriage. The miter gear 55 drives a miter gear 58 on the lower feed-roll shaft 59. The shaft 59 is provided with a spur gear 66 which drives a spur gear 6l on the upper feedroll shaft 62.

The upper front feed-roll 63 is somewhat similar in design to the rear upper feed-rller 43 except that more gripping segments 64 are provided and their contact areas are shorter because the rolls F are'driven at a slower rate of speed by the gear 60 than are the rolls E driven by the gear 32. However, the upper feed-rolls are designed so that the segments 64 on the front roll 63 are gripping the strip at exactly the same time that the faster moving segments 46 on the roll 43 are engaging the strip. This difference in speed produces the tension in the strip or web which causes the front form length to become detached along the line of weakening 9. The front upper feed-roll 63 is also provided with pressure-relieving sectors 65 to reduce vibration and' chattering, as explained in connection with the sectors As the advancing strip 1 is periodically released by the segments of rolls 43 and 63, its valignment is controlled by the pins I0 of the positive feeding mechanism B.

It is well known in the art that it requires less force to break apart a pair of forms along the line of weakening if the pressure can be applied so that the tear is started at lone edge or the other. In the prior art this has been done by biasing the feed-rollers, by using spirally arranged segments, or by drawing the paper over a fixed guide so that the pressure is first applied at one extreme edge. In the presentv construction, a

Ydefiecting finger 61 is fastened to the carriage and is laterally adjustable thereon by means of screws 66. The finger has a roller 69 at its lower end which projects in the path of stationery travelling between the guides 26 and 21. By simple adjustment of the deflecting finger the tear may be made to start at the center of the sheet, at either edge, or at any point along the transverse line of weakening. This adjustment -is particularly desirable because some forms also have a longitudinal line of weakening and it is not desirable to start the tearing at the transverse lines of lweakening at the intersection.

As shown in Figure 4, a tray 10 is provided at the rear of the machine to catch the severed forms as they leave the rear feeding rolls. The tray may be'hinged at 1-I and be longitudinally adjustable to accommodate various form lengths.

As shown in Figures 2 and 6, a hand wheel 12 may be provided on the shaft 33 to permit the various gears to be turned by hand when setting the machine to handle a particular length of form. The feeding device B is readily detachable and may be replaced by a different size feeding device having the proper spacing between the -pins ID to accommodate a, desired form length. When the machine is to be used with a different form length, the carriage with the rear feed-rolls is also adjusted so that there is slightly more than a form length of distance provided between the front and rear feed rolls. No other adjustments or settings are necessary unless it is desired to move the deilecting nger 61 to start the tear at a different point.

It will be understood that the printing roll C is readily removable and if it is not necessary to make additional notations on the forms before bursting, the machine will perform that cesareo given for clearness of understanding only. and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom for some modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A printing and bursting machine oi the character set forth: a frame provided with a power driven printing cylinder and tympan cylinder; feed means for positively engaging a strip of stationery and advancing it to said cylinders in timed relation to the rotation of the printing `cylinder; a pair of front feed-rolls to grip the stationery advancing from the cylinders and a pair of rear feed-rolls driven in timed relation to said printing cylinder and the rear feed-rolls having a peripheral speed greater than that of the iront feed-rolls; means for periodically releasing the grip of the front and rear'feed-rolls on the sta tionery; and a friction feed for continuously urging the strip of stationery from the printing cyl inder to the iront feed-rolls.

2. A device as specified in claim 1, in which one of the feed-rolls in each pair of feed-rolls has gripping segments to provide the means for periodically releasing the Web.

3. A device as specified in claim 1, in which one of the feed-rolls in each pair of feed-rolls has gripping segments disposed with respect to its companion roll and with respect to each other so that both pairs of feed-rolls are simultaneously in gripping or releasing position with respect to an advancing strip.

4. In a machine of the character set forth, a pair of feed-rolls for advancing a strip oi.' material, said rolls being yieldingly urged together and at least one of said rolls being power driven. one of said rolls having a yielding surface and the other having axially extending peripheral gripping segments to engage periodically the yielding surface of the companion roll, and pressure-relieving sectors near the ends of the gripping roll, said sectors having segments extending slightly beyond the gripping segments and bridging the circumferential spaces between said gripping segments to reduce vibration when the rolls are operated.

5. A machine for automatically bursting a continuous web of stationery, advancing from front to rear into separate forms at lines of weakening between forms, comprising: a frame; a pair o! iront coacting feed-rolls Journalled in said trame: a pair of rear coacting feed-rolls journalled in the frame with their axes disposed parallel, to the axes oi the iront ieed-rol`ls and spaced at least a forlnlength therefrom; means for driving the rear feed-relis in timed relation te and slightly faster than the iront rolls; and a deiecting guide-finger mounted. on said irai-ne slightly in rear of the iront :feed-rolls and positioned to project 'through n desired point intermediate ci the margins and into the direct path ci a tensioned web travelling from the front to the rear feeclrolls and initiate tearing of the web at that point.

i3. A, device as specilled in claim t2 in which the gindeiinger is provided at its lower end with a snaai! crowned roller to engage the web.

7. A device as specied in claim 5, in which the peripheries ci' one of the iront and one of the rear feed-rolls are serrated at regularly spaced inter vals to form gripping segments, said segments being disposed so that an advancing web will oe gripped by a front and rear segment simultaneously.

8. In a machine for the purpose set forth, a frame provided with a pair of front feed-rolls for advancing stationery from front to rear and a pair of rear iced-rolls driven in timed relation with respect to the front feed-rolls and having a slightly greater peripheral speed, said feedrolls having aligned circumferential clearance grooves, pairs of upper and lower guide members fixed to said frame and extending through the grooves in both sets ci feed-rolls to provide a chute for stationery fed through the feed-rolls, and a deiiectlng guide-finger mounted on said frame. slightly in rear of the iront feed-rolls and projecting into the path of stationery travelling through the chuthetween the marginal portions of said stationery in order to initiate tearing at the deflected lportion of the stationery when said stationery is sumciently tensioned.

9. In a machine for the purpose set forth, a frame provided with a pair of front feed-rolls for advancing stationery from front to rear and a pair of rear feed-rolls driven in timed relation with respect to the front feed-rolls and having a slightly greater peripheral speed, the peripheries of one of the front and one of the rear feed-rolls being provided at spaced intervals with axially extending gripping segments, said segments being disposed so that a web advancing through the chute will be gripped or released simultaneously by both sets oi' rolls.

MICHAEL J. O'CONNELL. 

